Too Little, Too Late
by Animejunkies'meow
Summary: She had always warned him that his chance to be with her had less and less meaning, until it wasn't there at all. And after all they've been through he should have listened... Gwen/Kevin
1. Prologue: Kevin

Heya

Heya!! This would be my first Ben 10 Alien Force story but I'm never intimidated! I think I might have a good handle on the characters, but I want you to be the judge of that. I really want reviews and more importantly, your criticism. Well hopefully you can be constructive about it, but still LOL. Well I want to note a few things about this story. First of all I know the summary was somewhat bleak and sad but I want to let you know that this WILL be an eventual Gwen/Kevin pairing. Once I have finished this story there is going to be a short sequel you should look out for, but we'll get to that when it comes. I already know exactly where I'm going with this story so that should make for regular weekly updates, unless summer stuff gets in the way. But I have the plot thoroughly mapped out so writer's block shouldn't be a factor. I really really want your feedback for each chapter. If you notice something funny or OOC I would really like to know. I try to write my stories as realistic as possible (well I mean, realistic for the show, lol!!) I also try very hard to proofread my work and make sure I have no typos so if you happen to find any, please tell me and I will make the necessary corrections. So with that in mind, read the story!!

It was 12:03. Darkness had fallen hours ago and Kevin had been unable to sleep. Instead, he sat on a bench at the park down the street from his home. There were no street lights; the only light came from the crescent moon which was insufficient in itself. It was a clear, crisp night. The temperature was perfect and the only sound came from the crickets in the distance. Bellwood was the kind of town that retired at 11:00. There was no nightlife here. If anything, the only nightlife that existed at all came with Kevin when he threw those wild parties he was known for. He smiled, thinking of the one he had thrown two nights ago. It had been crazy and his house got trashed, but it was totally worth it. And everyone was there. Well, everyone except the Tennysons. Of course, Kevin had invited them both, but they invented their own excuses for not going. It never really surprised him; they were never big party goers. But it was annoying when people would ask him where they were, for everyone in town always saw the three of them together. Although he would never admit it out loud in a million years, it burned him that they hadn't even showed at one of his parties. I mean, they were his friends, weren't they? He frowned because they were, and there enlied the problem. It wasn't a problem being friends with Ben; Kevin was almost used to that. Almost. But he and Gwen were also friends. Just friends. That, Kevin was having more of a problem with. She meant so much to him. She was so beautiful and strong and resilient. Gwen was precious. There wasn't anything he didn't adore about her. The way she walked, the way she kicked alien butt with her anodite powers, her smarts, the way she looked at him, the way she talked to him even when she was angry, and…her lips. God, those lips of hers taunted him every time she spoke. He always caught himself staring at them, especially when she was drinking something. It was so bad that when she took a swig of her drink, he found himself wishing he were the glass she was drinking from. Now he made it a point to avert his eyes when Gwen was thirsty.

It had become clear to Kevin that she was everything he ever wanted and more. The problem he had was actually telling her. He wasn't scared of rejection; she had flat out told him she wanted to go out, on multiple occasions. Kevin just wasn't sure about things. He wanted Gwen to be different. If he just asked her out, then it would be the same as the other girls Kevin had been with. But thinking about her like this made him realize what could make it different. She was Gwen, and that in itself made everything different. She had progressively changed his life from the moment she came into it, and he realized now how bad he wanted to be with her.

"_Just do it, just be with her…"_ a voice in the back of his head chided.

But if he did do it, if he really tried to have more than just a friendship with Gwen, then he would do everything differently. This wouldn't be about lust, like all his former relationships had been built on. No, Kevin needed it to be real. A new determination built up inside him and he knew what he needed to do. He was tired of waiting to find out where his life was gonna take him. It was time for Kevin to make his life what he wanted it to be. With this newfound strength, Kevin rose from the park bench and headed home. It was time to stop wasting time. It was time to ask Gwen out.

Well that was the end of the prologue. Yes it was extremely short, yet it was extremely important to set the stage for the rest of the story. I will be updating within a couple of days, depending on how fast I type it up. Before you even begin to complain about the shortness, I know it was short. Do not count on chapters being anywhere near this short. They will be long. I always end up writing a lot. The shortness of this chapter was INTENDED and (to tell you the truth) it was really hard to write so little to start out with. But I know what I'm doing…lol usually. Anyways, I really hoped you like it so far. And if you don't then that's your problem (jk!!). ) Please tell me what you think with a review! Now I just hate it when authors say "I'm not adding anymore chapters until I get (?) amount of reviews" so I'm not even gonna go there. Anyways, thanks for reading!!


	2. The Fallout

OMG

OMG!! I was totally gonna have this chapter up on Friday, but when I tried to upload it so I could finish typing the last page, it said the file was damaged and I tried to repair it and that didn't work. So I had to totally retype the whole thing! Ugh, I swear computers are out to get me!! Well anyways, thanks to my reviewers!! I greatly appreciate you!! And I want to say a few words about the next chapter. First of all, I want to let you know that this IS a Gwen/Kevin pairing. It's just gonna get complicated. Don't hate me when you read this next chapter. And there will be romantic, fluffy parts but those will come later, when the time comes. So please read on!!

Gwen yawned as she walked out of the school gym after her early morning Karate practice. She was surprised to see Kevin leaning on his car in the parking lot waiting for her. She approached him leisurely and smiled at him brightly. Kevin had to stifle a blush at the sight of her. She noticed there was a happy disposition in the air around him. Although it was unbecoming of Kevin, Gwen found it refreshing from his usual antagonist attitude.

"Hey, what brings you here?" she asked when she was in front of him.

"You." He said with a smile, "I heard you had practice this morning so I thought maybe you'd want a ride."

Gwen's bright eyes looked up at him in gratitude. Kevin stepped aside to open the door for her. Then he walked to the driver's seat and started the ignition.

"So, to your house?" he asked

"Yeah."

"Okay."

And with that, he peeled out of the parking lot.

"It's really nice of you to come pick me up Kevin."

He glanced at her before answering,

"Don't mention it."

They spent the rest of the car ride in a comfortable silence, with nothing but the radio filling it. When they reached Gwen's house Kevin switched the music off and turned to her.

"So, umm Gwen…I was thinking…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could go see a movie or something."

"The three of us?" Gwen asked, referring to them and Ben.

"No, I mean the two of us."

Gwen's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

Kevin smiled awkwardly before answering,

"Yeah, I guess I am."

For a split second Kevin saw happiness dance through her emerald eyes, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone and replaced by despondency. Then regret.

"Look Kevin, I like you, you know I do. But every time I tried to tell you that, you shut me out."

"Yeah, I know Gwen and I'm sorry. But if you'll give me the chance to make it up to you, I swear it'll be--"

"Kevin…" she said cutting him off, "It's not that I don't want to give you that chance, it's just that…well you never made a move…"

"Yeah?"

She paused and took a deep breath with deliberate tentativeness before continuing,

"It's just that it's too late."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"What do you mean it's too late?"

"I mean, I'm already seeing someone."

"WHAT?! Since when?!"

Kevin couldn't believe this was happening to him. His breath caught in his throat and his stomach felt like it was doing flips behind his muscled belly. Was the car interior spinning suddenly??

"Since a few weeks ago. Look, we met at the store and we just hit it off. It all just happened so…unexpectedly." She explained.

Kevin turned away from her and faced the steering wheel, looking irked.

"So what's this guy's name?" he asked trying not to sound as mad as he felt.

"His name is Daniel." She whispered

"And when exactly were you planning on telling me about this guy?" he asked, turning back to her.

"I was planning on bringing him around soon, really soon, so you and Ben could meet him. He doesn't go to our school…"

"So Ben doesn't know about this either?" he asked, not believing the secret she was keeping from the two of them.

"No, he knows. He just hasn't met him yet."

Kevin frowned, realizing the secrecy was only meant for him. He sat there blinking, not knowing what to do. He hadn't planned on things going like this. An extremely awkward silence enveloped them both and it was driving Gwen crazy. She tried to break it.

"He's coming tomorrow actually. He wants to meet you guys. I've told him so much about you and Ben he said he feels like he already knows you." She gave a little laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Kevin gave her a sharp look.

"Oh, so you told this Daniel guy about me but you didn't bother to mention a thing about him?!" he halfway yelled.

"Well Kevin…I just didn't know how to tell you."

"So you were just gonna have him show up here?! Was it supposed to be some kind of surprise?!"

"I-I don't know Kevin. I knew you were going to react like this so I…"

"So you what? Avoided telling me, hoping I would be okay with it once I met him?"

He didn't wait for her to answer before he continued,

"Don't you realize that the _last_ thing I ever wanted was to see you go be with someone else?" He asked, almost whispering the last part.

She looked at him with unshed tears in her crystal orbs. Her eyes ran over all his attributes she knew so well. His long ebony hair and piercing eyes that were looking at her with more hurt in them than she had ever seen, his muscular physique, and the softness his skin seemed to retain. Gwen slowly reached forward and put her hand on his arm. His body visibly relaxed at her touch, but his face remained rigid.

"I don't know how to answer that Kevin" She whispered back

"You're so confusing sometimes."  
"What do you mean by that?" he asked

"I mean, just when I finally convince myself that I got the wrong impression from you and made myself move on, you pull a complete 180 on me."

She gave him a sad smile.  
"I'm sorry." She murmured and retracted her hand.

She reached for the door handle with her other hand and opened the car door.

"Gwen wait…"

She stopped and turned back to him, with one foot out the door. Kevin couldn't get the words streaming through his mind to come out of his mouth. The whole situation was hopeless. He finally sighed and said,

"Never mind. Just go."

She hesitated for a second before turning and getting out of the car, struggling to keep her composure. She gently shut the door and watched as he drove away.

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Gwen awoke the next morning to the light drizzle of rain. She sighed as she looked out the window. It was as if the heavens themselves were reflecting out her mood. She forced herself to sit up in the bed and picked up the cordless phone on her bedside table. Slowly, she dialed and put the receiver to her ear, waiting for it to ring.

"Hello?"

"Ben?"

"Oh, hey Gwen!"

"So what did he say?"

"He said okay."

"Really?" Gwen replied more than a little perplexed

"Yeah, he did."

Gwen paused

"Well then I guess I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah I can't wait. See you!"

"Bye."

Gwen hung up the phone and put it back on the charger. She couldn't believe Kevin had agreed to come. He had to have something up his sleeve. Or maybe he was trying to pretend like yesterday never happened. Ben didn't know about it…

She was brought out of her thoughts by the swift knock on her door.

"Gwen, honey, are you awake?" said Gwen's mom

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Okay, well your father and I are heading out. Do you need anything?"

"No mom, I'm fine. Oh yeah, I'm going out later. I'll call if I'm getting home late."

"Okay dear. See you later."

"Bye mom."

Gwen listened to her mother's retreating footsteps before standing up and heading over to change out of her pajamas. Today was going to be an interesting day.

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Kevin paced back and forth in his garage. He kept glancing at the digital clock he put on the wall. He still didn't have to pick up the Tennysons for another twenty minutes. He walked up to his car and tapped on the hood in a fervent attempt to rid the anxiousness within him. Kevin couldn't believe he was doing this. But what other choice did he have? He was already in too deep; he cared about her so much. Kevin had to check this guy out, the one who took Gwen away from him. It was also a matter of Ben never finding out Gwen had rejected him. If he acted too strange, then Ben would know something happened between himself and Gwen. Then Ben's slew of questions would follow. His pride was already at an all time low; he didn't want to deal with that. He had never even considered this as a possibility. He had been totally confident that she would practically fling herself in his arms once he came to his senses.

Kevin sighed. One thing was for sure, he already hated this guy. He tapped his foot apprehensively for several more minutes until he couldn't stand it anymore. He hopped in his car and pulled out of the driveway. Kevin would just drive slowly to Ben's house.

Ben peeked out the window just as Kevin rolled up. He was early, but no matter. He grabbed his green jacket and put it on. The raining had stopped, but there was still a significant temperature change, bordering on chilly. When he reached the car he was greeted with a melancholy Kevin.

"Hey Kev, how's it going?"

Kevin merely grunted in response. Ben just shrugged and hopped in the passenger's seat. They pulled out and headed for Gwen's house.

Gwen was up in her room when she heard a car honk. "Kevin's here…" she thought and headed for the front door. She was relieved when she saw Ben already in the car. Now she didn't have to worry about being alone with him. Not that she didn't secretly wish she could be alone with him, but it was too late for that now. She climbed in the backseat and smiled.

"Hey guys." She said

"Hey Gwen!" Ben responded, bubbly as ever.

Kevin kind of waved his had in her direction and accelerated the car down the street.

"So where are we meetin' this guy anyways?" Kevin asked nonchalantly

"At the mini-mart gas station downtown." Gwen answered

Kevin raised his eyebrows at her through the rearview mirror.

"I know what you're thinking Kevin, but that's where we met so I figured it would be the easiest place to get together at."

"Uh huh." Was his response

He silently grumbled to himself. What a lousy place to pick up girls! And that had always been Kevin's favorite gas station. It had cheap gas, good service, and was always easy to steal from without getting caught. But he officially hated the place and found himself wishing there would be some kind of alien invasion that would leave it in ruins.

"So what time's Daniel meeting us there?" Ben asked

Ben noticed Kevin tighten his grip on the steering wheel at the mention of Daniel's name.

"Should be there at one." Gwen answered

Ben took a quick glance at the clock and noted it was 12:58.

"Oh wow, then he should be there any minute."

Gwen nodded and turned her gaze out the window. Ten minutes later they arrived. Kevin parked in the front and they all got out of the car. They all noted that there was no one who looked young enough to be Daniel, so he must be late.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Ben stated and walked inside, leaving his two companions alone and uncomfortable.

"I can't believe you met this dream guy of yours at the freakin' mini-mart." Kevin exclaimed once Ben was out of sight.

Gwen narrowed her eyes.

"What? We met you at an arcade, it's not like that's any better." came Gwen's matter-of-factly-said comeback.

"I just wish he wasn't this late." She said more to herself than to Kevin

"Well that's what you get for picking up random guys at gas stations."

She shot him an icy look, folded her arms over her chest, and turned her back on him.

"Dang it Kevin, I know you're mad at me, but it's not _my_ fault you didn't ask me out sooner!" she paused and faced him again to continue, "You can't say I didn't warn you because I did."

"Well yeah but--"

"And even after I did you _still_ didn't ask me! Kevin, I waited seven months for you to change your mind."

"That didn't necessarily mean--"

"So after all that, what did you expect me to think, huh?!"

Hearing this shut Kevin up. She was right. The first time she brought this up had been the night they met Morningstar. Gwen had admitted she liked him and wanted to go out, and when he was stubborn she proceeded to tell him that the longer he waited, the farther away she would slip from his grasp, in a manner of speaking. Kevin knew that had been a while back. In fact, he kept track of the elapsed time. But knowing she did so too made it that much worse. And somehow, it had never occurred to Kevin to take her words seriously. Now, he sorely wished he had.

"Gwen?"

They were snapped out of their moment to the sound of a male's voice. They both turned, and Kevin saw Gwen's forlorn face light up.

"Daniel!" she exclaimed and rushed over to greet him.

The boy gave her a quick hug, though not quick enough in Kevin's opinion, and pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to find just the right ones."

Gwen let out a little giggle and received them. They were the most unusual color for a flower, blue and iridescent. They must have put food coloring in the water.

Kevin studied the scene from a few feet back. He narrowed his eyes at the boyfriend and made mental notes. He was the same height as Kevin. He had a skinnier build than Kevin that was complimented by a tanned, muscled chest and arms. He had dark, chocolate brown hair and light brown eyes. Kevin hated to be blunt, but the guy was good looking. A natural heartthrob. And another classic act. I mean, come on! There's no way he was half an hour late because of some stupid flowers.

He watched as Gwen and Daniel interacted and he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He wished Ben would hurry up and come back. He tried hard not to stare at them too much, but they were positioned right in front of him. Gwen's back was to him, while Daniel faced him. And Kevin noticed Daniel seemed to be scooting closer to him. This, incidentally, meant he was really scooting closer to Gwen. Kevin felt his face grow hot as the offending boy took Gwen into his arms and leaned in. Kevin shot towards them instinctively. Sensing the movement, Daniel stopped and looked at Kevin, his lips but mere inches from Gwen's. Upon reaching them, Kevin pulled Gwen behind him and regarded Daniel with a sneer.

"Hi, I'm Kevin Levin." He said while roughly sticking his hand out for Daniel to shake it.

Daniel's expression grew confused as he took Kevin's hand to shake. He noticed Kevin squeezed his hand with unnecessary force, but he didn't show any sign of being fazed.

"I'm Daniel Reeseton."

Daniel glanced at Gwen who was standing behind Kevin. She looked livid and was glaring at the back of Kevin's head.

"Gwen's told me so much about you." He said, trying to sound civil despite the situation.

Kevin raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah? Wish I could say the same."

Daniel could tell that Kevin's comment was mostly directed at Gwen. Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but another voice interrupted her.

"Hey, is this Daniel?" Ben asked

Three pairs of eyes turned toward him. The unfamiliar pair lit up.

"Wow, you must be Ben!" the boy, who Ben assumed to be Daniel, said as he rushed forward to greet him.

"I'm Daniel Reeseton, Gwen's boyfriend." He said as he enthusiastically shook Ben's hand.

"Gwen talks about you all the time. It's like, she always has a story of some kind to tell me about you. She kept telling me how bad she wanted us to meet." He said with a kind smile

"Yeah, she's been telling me the same thing." Ben replied smiling back

They both launched into a conversation about Gwen but seemingly forgot about her in the process. Her _and_ her dark haired companion. Neither of them looked at Ben, Daniel, or each other for that matter. They stood side by side, two feet apart, and each found something "interesting" to look at. Gwen stared at Kevin's green hotrod on her right, while Kevin found some rock beside his shoe to concentrate on. They both shifted uncomfortably and discovered just how hard it was to ignore someone so blatantly standing next to you. But they both refused to speak, neither wanting to discuss what just transpired. Despite it all, Gwen was flattered that Kevin cared that much. Then again, she was pretty mad Kevin had interrupted them.

"Hey Gwen!" Daniels voice rang out suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Let's all go eat."

Gwen nodded her head.

"Where should we go?" Ben asked

"We should get burgers." Daniel decided, and then turned to Kevin.

"You know of a good place? I'll follow you in my car."

Kevin made no real response so Daniel turned to Gwen.

"Want me to give you a ride?"

At hearing this, Gwen smiled and took a step forward. Kevin's hand rose to the side and stopped her at her chest, creating a blockade in her path. She halted and looked at him questioningly but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Daniel.

"You know, fifteen isn't quite old enough to have a driver's license." Kevin said harshly

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know."

"So what the hell do you think you're doing?"

At this, Gwen faced him fully for the first time since they got there.

"Lay off Kevin, he's seventeen."

When he heard this, Kevin blanched. This guy was older than him?! Kevin was only sixteen. He couldn't believe it!

While Kevin was in momentary shock Gwen pushed his hand aside, walked over to Daniel, and took his hand.

"Why don't you follow _us_." She said to Ben and Kevin and pulled Daniel away.

Kevin grumbled and got into his car with Ben following close after. Ben glanced at his former nemesis. Kevin looked like he wanted to punch something. Or someone…

Ben turned to him.

"You know, you don't _have_ to go eat with us…"

Kevin lurched at him and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"You tryin' to get rid of me Tennyson?" he growled.

"No, I'm trying to do you a favor. You obviously can't handle Gwen having a boyfriend"

Kevin briefly tightened his grip but soon let go and turned away like he was ashamed.

"It doesn't matter. I'm checking this guy out. I don't like him…" he said darkly and turned to start the car.

"Yeah, of course you don't." Ben mumbled under his breath as they pulled out after Daniel's car.

OMG!! I'm glad I finished!! Well next chapter I'll reveal more about this stupid boyfriend of Gwen's. Ugh, it's really hard to write her with another person. But I think Kevin takes her for granted, like big time so I think he needs to suffer for a little bit. But not too bad. Well maybe kinda bad, but he's a tough man. LOL!! Well tell me what you think. If you totally hate me now, I'll understand. If you're gonna flame me though, I'll be sad. ( But please keep reading, the drama only gets better!! Until next time…

P.S: make sure you get in your reviews!! Please tell me if you hate/like/love this story, notify me of something you find funny, or if you happen to find a typo, point it out so I can fix it. I take great pride in my writing, and I don't want it muddled by misspellings and such.

P.P.S: Someone commented that I had an interesting take on Kevin, pertaining to him throwing parties and stuff and I just wanted to say thanks for liking the idea. But it wasn't my own. In the episode Paradox, Kevin makes a comment when they find the old experiment room in the base. The room looked like a tornado passed through it, and Kevin said the room looked like his place after that party he threw last weekend. To that effect. I don't know if anyone else noticed it, I almost missed it myself. But I just ran with it. )


	3. Setting the Stage

The usually crowded local diner was virtually empty when they arrived, as if the locals knew today was not the day to get in Kevin's way. The gang took a booth in the corner. Daniel stepped aside to allow Gwen to tentatively climb in first, with him at her heels. Ben and Kevin got stuck across from them. Much to Kevin's dismay, he and Gwen both took the wall seats meaning he got to stare at her during the whole meal. Well, not that he didn't love to stare at her and wished he could do it for hours on end…but they weren't exactly speaking right now. Earlier had set the stage for this, and each was trying to ignore the other. Kevin sat listlessly as Daniel droned on about himself, the result of Ben's never ending stream of questions. Despite himself, Kevin listened as he pretended to eat his food.

"Yeah, my parents have stayed together all these years." Daniel said, answering yet another question, not that he minded.

"Yeah, so have mine and Ben's." Gwen added

Daniel turned his head to the uncommunicative Kevin.

"What about you man? Your parents still together?"

Kevin raised his eyebrows. He noticed Ben glance uncomfortably between him and Daniel. Gwen whipped her head over at the questioning youth she called "boyfriend", giving him a look that told him to drop it. Kevin's ego kicked in; he didn't need them to cover for him.

"I ain't got any parents."

The table was quiet for a moment. Daniel would have felt sorry for him, if Kevin hadn't been giving him a look that just dared him to show pity. Ben tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"So…tell me about your family. You have any siblings?"

Quickly turning his attention back to Ben, he answered,

"No, I don't have any. My parents only wanted one, ya know?"

Ben laughed

"Yeah, I know how that feels."

They glanced over at Gwen.

"She doesn't." Ben continued to laugh.

Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Yeah? Between you and Ken I never had any peace! Of course, once Ken got older he was cool. He stopped picking on me and stuff." She shook her head and smiled.

"Well what school do you go to?" was Ben's next question

"Well I live in a little town about 45 miles from here called Okram (a/n Oak-rum). I'm a junior at Okram High School right now."

Ben nodded thoughtfully before asking,

"How do you like it? Is there a lot to do?"

Daniel smiled.

"Oh yeah. I know it's a small school, but I keep myself really involved."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well…let's see…right now I'm captain of the rugby and basketball teams, I'm head of the school FFA and yearbook club, and vice-president of the honor's society. Not to mention keeping my grades. I plan on graduating valedictorian next year."

Ben's eyes were wide in awe. Gwen smiled broadly.

"Yeah and after highschool, Daniel plans on going to Chicago University."

"Hey, isn't that where _you_ wanna go?" Ben asked

"Yup." was Gwen's jealous reply, although it was said with a genuine smile.

Kevin looked away from the three of them, thoroughly sick of this conversation. It was like this guy was perfect! He had a nice family and had everything going for him at school. What else could this guy do?!

"Oh my god Ben, guess what else?" Gwen squealed

"What?"

"Daniel plays the guitar!!"

Kevin had had enough of this. He pushed his plate aside and excused himself to the "bathroom", hardly waiting for Ben to move out of the way.

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Of all the awkwardness and drama of the day, Kevin had to say that driving home was the worst. At least for him. Once again he was stuck with Ben in the passenger's side and no Gwen in the back seat. She had opted to take her boyfriend's car; therefore Daniel was taking her home. Just knowing that that stupid pretty boy was going to know where she lived and probably meet her parents…

He was mad. He never in a lifetime thought he would feel anger worse than when Cash and J.T. trashed his car, but this by far topped it. He was totally gonna beat on something when he got home…

Meanwhile, Gwen and Daniel were taking the "long way" to Gwen's house. They idly chitchatted about the day and flirted playfully, but suddenly Daniel pulled over and parked. Gwen looked at him questioningly. He was silent for a few seconds. Then he faced her.

"I don't want you hanging around with that Kevin guy."

Gwen choked.

"WHAT?!"

Daniel sighed.

"Look babe, I know you said you and he are really good friends but I'm not stupid. There's something more than friendship there, and he was acting exactly on my suspicions."

She blinked, not knowing what to say. He was right; Kevin was acting totally obvious about his jealousy. And normally she would be on Kevin's side completely, but there were some factors she had to consider. Like the fact that Kevin had left her rejected and confused for seven months. And that despite what she had originally told Kevin, her and Daniel had really been together a few _months_, meaning the relationship was far more serious than she let on. So what Daniel had to say really truly mattered to Gwen. But she just wasn't willing to give Kevin up. Not completely. She still liked him too much.

"I know where you're going with this but believe me; nothing's going to happen between me and Kevin. You can trust me."

He gave her a half smile.

"It's not you who I don't trust, it's him."

Gwen sighed.

"If it'll make you feel better I'll only be around him if Ben's with me."

At this, the boy brightened up considerably and pulled her to him. It was an embrace she had come to know well. He leaned down and kissed her slowly. It was a kiss she had come to love. She had never felt this way about a man before. No one had ever given her their heart the way he had. Not Kevin or otherwise. Gwen found that she minded less and less that the person in her arms wasn't Kevin. And she knew everything was going to be alright…

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The weeks passed and it seemed like despite the fact he lived forty five minutes away, Kevin saw Daniel wherever he went. Of course, this could be attributed to the fact that Kevin continued to spend his free time with the Tennyson cousins. It didn't just have to do with the fact that Kevin was still head-over-heels for the female Tennyson. They were still teammates after all, with the prime goal of frying DNAlien butt. But with not even a hint of DNAlien activity or any alien for that matter in months, the threesome were beginning to feel that this was only the calm before the storm. There had to be something brewing under the surface, something they kept missing. Ben had been especially avid about keeping a watch out for anything suspicious. He constantly drilled Kevin to check and double check his underground sources, but still nothing. In time, Kevin finally convinced Ben to spend these uneventful weeks relaxing by spending more time with Julie. Unfortunately, Gwen never needed convincing. She was always with Daniel. She invited him to everything Kevin and the Tennyson's did together. At first he thought she was openly flaunting this boy in his face as if to say, "Look what you're missing!" And he wished she would stop. But he soon found out from Ben that Gwen often went to Okram just as Daniel came to Bellwood. If that wasn't unsettling enough, Ben also mentioned occasions when Daniel actually ate _dinner_ at her house with her parents and vice versa. Daniel began picking her up from school. Soon he was even picking up Ben as well. It hit Kevin, and it hit him hard, that she was in no way flaunting Daniel for his sake. No, Gwen was really truly falling for this guy, and Kevin suddenly found himself wishing she _was_ flaunting him, instead of falling for him. Once he realized this, he became desperate for her attention. He had to talk to her, apologize to her, something, anything! He found himself pulling her aside one night where they and Ben had been mingling at some house party. Really, they didn't even know anybody at the party, for it was out of town. If Kevin hadn't gotten a lead about this really being a cover for an alien hangout, they wouldn't even be here. And an alien hangout it was, teeming with strange creatures. Some disguised themselves as humans, while others let their true forms show. But nothing out of the ordinary was happening. At least, not out of the ordinary for a bunch of intergalactic aliens.

Delicately taking Gwen's arm and leading her away from Ben and around a corner, Kevin whispered in her ear over the loud music that he needed to talk to her. She allowed herself to be pulled along stiffly and Kevin realized that this would be the first time they had been alone since he met Daniel. Once they were somewhere quiet, he turned to her.

"I really hope this is important Kevin, we can't leave Ben alone for too long in case something goes down."

"Yeah, don't worry about him."

"But still, couldn't this wait? I mean Ben could be in trouble right now and we don't even know it."

Kevin noticed Gwen looked apprehensive. More than was normal, even for their current situation. And her body language suggested she was uncomfortable.

"He's a big boy. And he has ten friends with him incase something happens." He found himself replying with a little smirk.

Gwen frowned.

"I'm just worried about him Kevin, I mean what if Ben--"

"For crying out loud, Gwen! Stop it about Ben already! What's up with you?"

She looked at him for a long while before sighing.

"Okay, look. The truth is, I promised Daniel I would only be around you if Ben was with me."

"What? Are you telling me you don't trust me anymore?" he asked with disbelieving, wide eyes.

"No, I'm saying that _Daniel_ doesn't trust you. He knows Kevin…"

Kevin's eyes narrowed.

"What did you tell him?!" he said in a very accusing tone.

She was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained her composure.

"I didn't tell him a thing! Maybe if you hadn't practically pried me and him apart, he wouldn't have suspected!"

"Oh, so you're saying it's _my_ fault?!"

It was Gwen's turn to narrow her eyes.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

And with that ringing in his ears, she turned around and left; Kevin's original intent for the conversation long forgotten. Suddenly there was a scream. Kevin ran to follow Gwen, who took off in pursuit of the scream. As Kevin rounded the corner he ran into Ben. Ben in Humongasaur form. Gwen was at his side with glowing hands. The music had been turned off and all the parties' inhabitants had formed a circle around them and another menacing alien who stood in the center. The strange creature resembled a very large reptile with spiky appendages lining its back. His height easily towered over Kevin and almost measured up to Humongasaur. At least as long as Ben didn't grow himself any. His blue eyes were aglow with a dark energy and he faced Humongasaur.

"What's your problem?" Humongasaur asked incredulously

"You're my problem buddy boy! Jussst ssstay out of my way!" the thing hissed and lunged forward

At his sudden action the room sprang to life. Aliens began running around and pushing each other, trying to escape the tussle, while others looked on amused. Humongasaur stepped to the side and the Lizard thing had to skid to keep from hitting the wall. Kevin grabbed Gwen and threw him and her out of the way. Humongasaur quickly retaliated, throwing a punch headed for the reptile's chest. But it proved to be faster than it seemed and quickly sidestepped the large alien fist. Suddenly, the beast was encircled by a ribbon of pink and squeezed into submission. He darted his eyes to the wielder and found Gwen standing atop one of her energy platforms. His gaze intensified and suddenly blue laser beams shot from his eyes. Taken by surprise and losing her focus, Gwen's power released the lizard and she had to jump in avoidance, the beams just barely missing their target. Gwen created another platform a few feet away and quickly jumped up again, turning a flip to propel her towards it and gracefully landing. Kevin saw the beast focus his eyes on Gwen again and quickly coated himself with the nearest hard surface.

"Oh no you don't!" he exclaimed as he grabbed onto the floor below and pulled a strip of it up. He quickly slammed it back down with all the force he could muster. The seismic toss rippled toward the creature, knocking it down. Humongasaur took this opportunity and ran at him full force yelling,

"Bodyslam!!" and did just that.

The reptile let out an agonizing sound.

"Get off me you ssstupid…"

Ben smirked and grew himself in size, crushing the vile beast even further.

"Okay, okay! I give! Jussst get off of me!!" he wailed

Slowly, Humongasaur heaved himself up and the lizard scampered away from the threesome.

"Let that be a lesson to you." Ben said to his companions, transforming back to normal

"What lesson?" Kevin asked, also returning to normal.

"Never go to house parties thrown by aliens." He answered

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It was a bright, sunny day in Bellwood. The birds were chirping, soft clouds puffed in the sky, and everyone was feeling the happy effects of spring fever. Teenagers loitered around the local Mr.Smoothe in groups. Jovial couples littered the area. People talked, laughed, and smiled out their general vivacity. In the center of this genial scene sat a totally miserable Kevin Levin. He sat at a table with his usual companions. And since of late, Daniel had become one of those usual companions. Daniel and Gwen sat across from each other meaning Kevin had the "pleasure" of sitting next to Daniel. Across from Kevin sat Ben, who had Gwen on his right and that girl Julie on his left. So yes, everyone except Kevin had really caught this spring fever thing. The man at the ordering window called out a list of names so that people could begin to line up to get their orders. Ben perked up at hearing his own name called.

"You go on and get the drinks," Julie said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick."

They both stood and Gwen's voice chirped,

"I'll go with you Julie!"

The two girls smiled at each other and walked off side by side. Kevin groaned at the realization that this left him and Daniel alone together. Why did girls always have to go to the bathroom together?? He hoped to just ignore Gwen's dumb boyfriend, but to no avail. As soon as everyone was gone, Daniel wasted no time in addressing him.

"Hey man, we need to talk."

Kevin slowly turned his gaze to Daniel looking apathetic.

"Yeah?" he said in a sadistic tone

"You really need to lay off my girl. She told me you've been bugging her lately and that don't sit well with me. I don't know what you and her were to each other, but all I have to say is that she's my girlfriend and you have no right to corner her or whatever it is you're doing."

Kevin looked placid. He spat,

"Look Daniel, I don't take orders from anybody! What goes on between me and Gwen is absolutely none of your business!"

"Like hell, it's none of my business! She's _my_ chick and I know _you_ want her. You're just lucky I'm nice enough to let her hangout with you while Ben's around."

"I can be around whoever I want, whenever I want," Kevin sneered, "and I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to her as some chick."

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah. But this isn't just what I want, Gwen told me she wanted you to butt out and leave her alone. She's just too nice to say it to your face."

Kevin's expression dropped and his eyes darkened.

"So I guess it's a good thing she met me," Daniel continued, "she needs _someone_ to protect her."

Kevin wasn't listening any longer. Daniel's voice kept echoing in his ears:

_Gwen told me she wanted you to butt out and leave her alone…_

The masses of surrounding teenagers shouted and flirted and gossiped. The girls were coming back, talking animatedly and laughing and having fun. The closer Gwen got, acting all happy and natural, not a care in the world, the sicker Kevin felt. The whole atmosphere was far too sanguine for Kevin's liking, so he stood up and bolted for his car. Gwen watched him go confused as she and Julie sat down.

"Where is Kevin running off to so fast?"

Daniel offered a smile, all remnants of the spiteful sneer he wore earlier gone.

"He got a call and had to rush off."

Gwen frowned.

"But Kevin doesn't have a cell."

Daniel just shrugged, not able to come up with a cover story for his bad lie. Gwen looked thoughtful for a second and asked,

"Where's Ben?"

"Still waiting for our order." Daniel replied.

Suddenly he spotted him.

"Oh, there he is."

Ben sat down at the table, brandishing five smoothes.

"Where's Kevin?" he asked

"Uh, Ben…" Gwen said, giving him an unusual look, "Daniel said he got a call and had to run home."

She raised her eyebrows and Ben widened his eyes.

"You don't think…"he started

"Yeah, probably." She answered, despite his lack of a question

They both nodded to each other in understanding. Kevin didn't have a cell phone, but Daniel said he got and important call and had to go, so it must have been his plumber's badge.

"Umm Daniel, Julie? Gwen and I just remembered an errand we were supposed to run for our parents."

"Okay, I'll drive you." Daniel stated and started to get up

"No!! I-I mean, no. No, that's okay babe, Ben and I can walk, it's not far. We'll be back in a bit. And if we do take long, just meet us at my place later."

They scurried off in Kevin's general direction. They didn't want to be obvious about their fib so they slightly veered off course until they were sure they were out of sight. Then they rushed at top speed to Kevin's place, hoping to all hope that nothing bad had happened.

Yaaaaay!! I'm done with chapter 2!! Wow that was really tiring to type. So, I know Julie already knows about the Plumbers and Ben's powers and all, but I made her ignorant in this story just because she's not a big part of it. This is probably going to be her only appearance, not because I don't like her, but because I only put her in to set the whole 'Kevin is alone and lonely even when surrounded by friends' thing I had going on in that scene. You know, the every one had someone to talk to except Kevin kind of thing. LOL, I'm really mean to Kevin, aren't I? Okay, so I have to ask everyone reading this a HUGE FAVOR!! Okay, I need to know how I did on the fight scene with the lizard and the gang. I'm not accustomed to writing such scenes quite yet, and I need to know what you thought. Was it too short? Was it written well enough? Did it have enough detail? Did I use their powers well? Could you even understand what was happening?? I sure do hope so. I have another fight scene coming up in the near future and I need to know if I have to fix anything about my approach, ya know?? Well it would be really awesome if you would give me some feed back, I REALLY need it!! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to all of you who put me on your favorite stories and authors list! And thank you for all the alerts as well!! And of course, I can't forget all my reviewers!! And please please please review!! Even if you have me on your favorite's lists I would really love to get a review from you. Any ways, with school closing in, in a couple of weeks, I don't know how busy my schedule will be. I still plan on making weekly updates, even with school under my belt and cheerleading practices and games and stuff. So I just wanted to let you know that. LOL. Until next time…


	4. How it happens

Kevin sat sullenly in his garage, staring at his car

Kevin sat sullenly in his garage, staring at his car. Really, it was more of a blank stare, for Kevin was deep in thought. His frown was etched into his face. He couldn't believe how terrible his life was going lately. It was like the jaws of karma had finally sunk its teeth into Kevin. Like it intended to make him repent for all the horrible things he had done by taking his happiness. Kevin was suddenly marred from his thoughts by the sound of yelling.

"Kevin! Hey Kevin, is everything alright?" yelled Ben

He looked up and saw Ben and Gwen running up the driveway, red faced and out of breath. Once they made it inside the open garage door, they stooped over and leaned on each other, trying to catch their breath.

"Daniel…said you…got a call…" Ben stated between breaths

"Thought…it was…plumber's badge…"Gwen finished, equally breathless

Kevin waited for them to stand up straight with breaths caught before he replied

"Oh, is that what he told you?" he said sarcastically, quirking an eyebrow

"Yeah. Is everything okay?" Gwen asked

"Not particularly, no."

He stood up and walked over to her, completely forgetting Ben's presence

"Your boyfriends a jerk." He said simply

Gwen looked affronted.

"Kevin, don't start with this now. What was this call you got?"

Kevin gave an impatient sigh.

"Don't you get it? There was no call, I left because your boyfriends a jerk."

He leaned in really close to her, so close, that his nose tickled hers.

"And you're no better either."

She offered him a confused look and stepped back.

"What do you mean?" she asked, traces of hurt interwoven in her words

His eyes narrowed.

"You know exactly what I mean. You're the one who sent that idiot on my ass. Time to stop playing innocent Gwendolyn; if you don't want me around anymore just say it. I have to hear the words straight from your pretty little mouth…" he said with insistency, lifting her chin with his forefinger so she would meet his eyes

Her cheeks tinged pink, but she gave him a dejected look.

"Are you saying Daniel said that to you?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. He said you told him you wanted me to butt out and leave you alone."

Her eyes went wide. There was silence.

"Well? Did you say that, or didn't you?"

She put her head down so she was no longer holding his gaze.

"I might've…said something along those lines…" she whispered

"Oh really?!" he said harshly, taking another step forward

She looked up to him again with a steady gaze.

"But I didn't mean it." She said more clearly

He narrowed his eyes, not believing her. She caught his drift and went into a hurried explanation.

"Look, he's been running amuck about me hanging out with you since he met you. So I told him some things to put his mind at rest. I didn't mean it; I just wanted him to believe that there was nothing going on between us." Gwen finished

Kevin's eyes widened at the last part.

"W-Which there isn't!" she quickly corrected herself

"I just didn't think he would actually confront you about it."

Kevin huffed,

"Well you obviously thought wrong. And before we get off the topic, there _would_ be something between us if you weren't being dumb."

Gwen looked at him, clearly appalled.

"Oh, so now you're blaming _me_ that we're not together? That was all your doing Kevin! Maybe if you hadn't been so stubborn, things would have panned out better."

"Oh yeah?! What makes you think I was being stubborn, huh?! What if I had some other reason?!" He yelled steadily becoming frustrated

"Well if you had another reason then why didn't you talk to me about it, rather than make me feel like a rejected idiot?!" She yelled, equally frustrated

"Well in case you haven't noticed Gwen, I'm not exactly great at sharing my feelings with people, like you so obviously are!"

"Oh don't worry Kevin, I've noticed! And while were on the subject, if you're so bad at it, then why are you doing it now?!" She roared, her anger only growing

"Because maybe I realized I made a mistake and want to fix it! Is that so bad?!" He shouted, waving his hands in the air

"No, it's not bad. But you're being ridiculous!" She shouted back, leaning forward and pointing her finger at him

"I'm not being ridiculous, you're being ridiculous! You and that fake-ass boyfriend of yours! There's something totally fishy about his character!"

"Oh stop it Kevin!! You have no right to judge him! You don't even know him!!"

She yelled with clenched fists at her side.

"Well I know him well enough to know there's something weird about him!!"

"You're just saying that Kevin!"

Her anger was getting too much to stand.

"No I'm not! He seems like a nice guy on the surface but that's all an act! Once you or Ben isn't around he's a vindictive, pigheaded little--"

"Shut up Kevin!!" she yelled, trying very hard not to scream

"And I don't understand what you could possibly see in a guy like that!! How can you seriously--"

"Kevin, I love him!!" she cried out; the agony, along with the words themselves instantly silencing him

Angry tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she looked at him with so much vexation she was actually red in the face. She really hadn't planned on saying such a thing to Kevin. Especially to Kevin. Hell, even Daniel had never heard the words come out of her mouth. But Kevin's words had hurt and angered her so much. She fumed at his stupefied expression. That same expression soon turned to anger and he addressed her again.

"I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did." He said darkly

"Well the feeling's mutual." She snipped, then turned to go out the garage door.

Immediately upon turning Ben came into view and she abruptly stopped. Gwen felt like a deer caught in headlights. Kevin looked as well and blanched. Ben had been standing there the whole time and heard everything. Ben's expression was hard and he stared back at them, standing in the same place he had been at since he and Gwen arrived. Yet he had still been forgotten. Embarrassment quickly wrote itself upon both Kevin and Gwen's faces. Hot tears were still threatening to fall down Gwen's cheeks. Ben noticed this and wordlessly went to move forward but she took to her heels and ran, covering her face with her hands.

Ben spun on Kevin.

"What the heck was that all about?" he questioned furiously

"None of your business Tennyson!" Kevin growled

"That's my cousin Kevin, she _is_ my business! Why do you have to be such a jerk to her all the time?!"

Kevin's eyes narrowed.

"_I'm_ being a jerk? In case you weren't paying attention, she was yelling too!"

"Yeah, she was yelling. But from where I'm standing, she was only defending herself and Daniel. And you were just being a jealous pinhead."

Both boys frowned.

"Don't tell me you're on _her_ side?!" He yelled, gesturing his hands in the direction Gwen had run off in

"Of course I'm on her side! Daniels great and you just can't handle that."

"And you're just too blind to see that guy for who he really is."

Ben sighed.

"No Kevin, you're just blind sighted by your immense jealousy. This is just like the Morningstar incident…"

Kevin brightened up at this.

"Ah, but I was right about Morningstar, wasn't I?"

Ben's face reddened.

"That wasn't what I meant! I meant no matter who Gwen picks, you're always gonna disapprove."

"Well yeah but--"

"Well then Gwen is right, you _are_ being ridiculous."

And with that, Ben turned to follow Gwen, though she was long gone by now.

Kevin clenched his fists and pounded one into the nearby wall, leaving an evident hole. He struggled for a second to suppress his temper and slowly extracted his hand from the wall. Then he willed himself into his prized '76 GTO (a/n newsflash to all you ppl who know nothing about cars and think it's a Camaro). A good drive to clear his thoughts was exactly what he needed right now…

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The road was practically empty since it was near sunset. Kevin made his way to the small, long abandoned warehouse district of town. He knew there he could drive around and not be disturbed. He made a few turns and suddenly the buildings around him were no longer well groomed shops, openly inviting patronizers, but old rundown factories and warehouses. The place had become condemned years ago and was now nothing more than a waste of space. Kevin now steered his vehicle second naturedly down multiple connecting roads, going nowhere in particular. How had things gone so wrong? All he had wanted was a little happiness for once, and it blew up in his face! Now Gwen was in love with a complete sleazebag. He was totally wrong for her; Kevin just knew it. And it had nothing to do with jealousy. Because he also knew, deep down in his heart that he didn't deserve a girl like her either. But somehow, he was no longer willing to let such a feeling stop him. He was Kevin Levin. He did whatever he wanted.

Kevin sighed. It all seemed so stupid. Things had gone so awry between them that he wasn't even sure if they were friends any longer. Both of the Tennysons had obviously chosen Daniel over him. And why did he even care?! He sighed again, knowing that was the stupidest question in the world and decided not to even bother with an answer. Gwen was really beyond his reach, and he realized then that he would spend the rest of his life regretting never having what he could've so easily had in the first place. He sighed yet again, feeling as if a black cloud hung over his head, following him wherever he went. He couldn't fathom things getting any worse than this.

Suddenly, a flash of bright red emitted from an old shoe factory on Kevin's left. He immediately slammed his brakes and pulled over in an inconspicuous spot behind a dumpster. Curiosity burned inside him. This place was abandoned; Kevin was the only frequent visitor. Who would possibly venture all the way out here? Kevin figured it was just a bunch of school kids having their kicks, but he wanted to check and be sure. Quickly moving through the ever darkening shadows as night approached, Kevin found a convenient entrance and slid inside. The room he infiltrated was dimly lit by the growing light of the moon, and a few measly candles in the center of it all. His eyes strained to make out a source that could cause such a flash. His ears heard voices approaching and he quickly ducked behind a stack of empty crates, suitably fixed near the door he had sidled through.

"Goph!! Insolent whelp, hurry up!"

Two alien-like figures came into view. At first they were hard to make out, but as they walked closer to the candles in the middle of the room, their appearances became clear. They were bald headed aliens with albino white skin. Each had four yellow eyes on their heads and long, folded wings atop their backs. One of them appeared to be female. Kevin had never seen such a species before. What were they doing in a town like Bellwood?

Another figure scurried into view and seemed to be of the same breed. They were all about the same height, and Kevin suddenly noticed, wearing clothes just like a regular human wears. That was strange. Most aliens elected to wear no clothes at all. Most didn't have to.

"Goph, where are those schematics?!" the second, seemingly female and slightly shorter one yelled.

The third alien, the one they called Goph, quickly came forward and produced a small, golf ball sized disc.

"I have it right here Anix." Goph said with evident contempt.

"Enick, are all pawns in order?" Anix asked, turning to the alien she had walked in with

Enick gave an eerie smile and replied,

"Yes. I always deliver, do I not?"

The other two chuckled in agreeance.

"Anix, did you recharge the containment unit like I told you to?" Enick inquired

"Yes, all aspects are in order sir."

"And Goph, you have the schematics compartment as well?"

Goph nodded and handed what looked like a portable DVD player to Enick. It seemed to function like a DVD player too, for Enick pushed a button, causing the device to open. He slid the schematics disc inside. The device lit up and showed a holographic version of what looked like some kind of machine. Kevin couldn't tell what kind though. Another button was pushed, and a scanning beam appeared. The machine the weird aliens had been looking at just moments prior materialized right in front of them. Okay, pretty sure DVD players don't do that…

"Ah! With this, the final phase of our plan can begin tonight!!" Enick wailed maniacally

He turned to face Anix and Goph who were now standing side by side.

"Our time in the sun will come again!"

Goph then smiled evilly, but Anix looked apprehensive.

"Sir, are you sure the neuroshocker will work on him? And what of the 'other'? What if--"

Enick cut Anix off with an icy glare.

"You doubt my careful planning? I have observed all aspects first hand and allotted each phase accordingly. The 'other' was an unforeseen circumstance but it is already delt with."

Anix gave a curt nod.

"You're right. I mustn't doubt you sir." She paused to give a sly grin, "our plan to send this world to its demise will be completed!"

Enick turned to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. Once the neuroshocker allows us control of the omnitrix, the annexation of all who oppose us will be facile."

Kevin chocked.

"Did he just say the omnitrix?" he whispered to himself

They all simultaneously laughed. Their bodies' glowed red as they changed their shape and Kevin couldn't believe what he was seeing. There before him stood Daniel, his two alien companions now resembling a man and a woman in their mid thirties. Realization came into play that the one they called Enick was really Daniel, or more accurately, the other way around.

Daniel's laugh died down, but the other two continued snickering.

"And that silly girl is the key to it all. Half-breeds like her are so ignorant and daft. And once I have her lead the omnitrix into my grasp we'll dispose of her. That way no one can stop us."

It took everything in Kevin's power not to jump over there and choke the life out of the fraud. No one called _his_ Gwen such things as daft, ignorant, and half-breed. Kevin might have said he thought there was something fishy about Daniel, but he hadn't meant this. In fact, he hardly knew what he meant at all by that; it was more of a ploy fed by his own jealousy.

The three humanoid pretenders continued to jest about half-breeds, so Kevin slunk back out the door from whence he came. He made a mad dash for his car. Enick said they made their move tonight. He had to warn Gwen. Whatever plan they had devised to get the omnitrix from Ben, it involved Gwen. She was in danger. And over his dead body was she going to fall victim to this scheme…

Alright!! I got this chapter up a day earlier than usual!! So, I'm totally stoked cuz I just got internet at home!! So that means I don't have to drive _all the way to the library_ just to get on the internet. Over there you can only get on the computers for an hour a day, so now I will defiantly get to update more frequently. This is totally great!! Yay!! Okay so I WANT REVIEWS!! They are great! Constructive criticisms are more than welcome as well. Thanks for reading! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible! There's even more Kevin/Gwen drama. I'm estimating about two more chapters left! Until next time…


	5. Pleading

Okey Dokey

Okey Dokey! Well quick author's note. This chapter is significantly shorter than the rest. Now usually my chapter lengths are carefully planned and such, but I hit a spike in my writing due to my laziness to complete my summer reading earlier in the summer so I've had to read it last minute and all. So I haven't had any time to write on my story. So Please be patient with me!! My next chapter will probably not be posted in my usual once a week update thing I have going. So I apologize ahead of time. Anyways enjoy!

Warning: _Major_ Gwevin ahead!! (I know, about time)

Gwen sat atop her bed, legs folded as if in a meditative state. She had spent the better part of her afternoon like this, trying to get a handle on her intermixed emotions. She was just glad to finally stop crying. That fight with Kevin had taken a huge toll on her nerves. And she had been disappointed to find out that Daniel had not gone to her house to wait for her either. Suddenly the phone rang. Her eyes shot open and she scrambled to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe."

"Oh, hey Daniel."

"You okay? You sound kinda down."

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay. Well I'll be over there in a bit to pick up you and Ben."

"…Huh? What do you mean?"

"Remember? The three of us, my place, movie night?? We've had this planned all week!"

Gwen's eye's widened.

"Oh yeah that's right! I better call Ben and remind him."

"No need. I already did. I'll see you in a bit."

"Uh huh. Bye!"

She clicked off the phone and replaced it on the charger. Gwen had totally forgotten their plans in all the fuss from earlier. She rose from her blue bedspread and walked to her mirror to comb her hair. Stuck in her thoughts, she was more than a little surprised to hear an abrupt knock at her window of all things. Gwen jumped up and timidly peeled her blinds apart to peek through. There stood Kevin, hand still poised to knock again. Her surprised expression quickly dropped to one of enmity. His eyes pleaded with her, and when that didn't work, so did his mouth.

"Gwen, please, open up! Come on, I need to talk to you!"

She heard the desperation in his voice and her look softened slightly. Slowly, she unlatched the window and slid it all the way open so he could slip inside.

"What is it Kevin?" she said in a cold tone, trying to hide her elation. Maybe his coming here meant he wanted to apologize! Maybe he wasn't as immature as she thought he was…

"Gwen, you and Ben are in danger." Kevin said, getting directly to the point

"What do you mean?" She asked, completely struck

Kevin gave her a serious look and replied,

"Gwen, I know this is going to sound crazy but Daniel's an alien! He's using you to get to Ben so he can take the Omnitrix for himself and destroy…whatever it is he's planning on destroying! You're both in danger because he's making his move tonight!"

Gwen just stared.

"Are you kidding me? That's what you came all the way over here to tell me? That my boyfriend's an evil alien? This is an all time low for you Kevin! I can't believe you would make an accusation like that!" she said steadily getting louder

Hours spent composing herself became pointless as her eyes once again filled with tears. But this time she refused to let them fall. Her Kevinly directed anger came back and she narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms.

"I really thought you were better than this Kevin."

He looked alarmed for a second.

"Gwen, why would I lie about something like this?" he asked trying to keep his voice from becoming frantic

"Oh, I dunno, maybe it's because you're jealous, immature, and rude! You don't give a care about other peoples feelings as long as you get--"

He rushed forward and slapped his hand over her mouth to silence her. She looked up at him in a fury and tried to shake him off. He let his hand off her mouth but took her by the shoulders.

"Did Daniel call you tonight?"

Gwen angrily looked away.

"Did Daniel make plans with you and Ben?!" He asked, a little more panic-stricken than he had planned

She turned her glare back to him and answered,

"Yes, but that doesn't prove anything. Daniel's not an alien, and he doesn't know about the omnitrix. We hangout all the time; this isn't any different."

Kevin tilted his head, still maintaining a firm, if not gentle grip on her shoulders.

"Yeah, but Ben's gonna be with you this time."

Gwen huffed.

"Ben hangs out with us sometimes. There's nothing strange about it."

Kevin squeezed her shoulders slightly.

"Gwen, I know I was jealous. I know I am immature and rude, but I don't mess around when it comes to your safety. Daniel is dangerous!"

Gwen snorted.

"Daniel couldn't hurt a fly, and I don't appreciate the insinuation. Now if you'll kindly leave, he should be here any minute."

She tried to pry his hands off her shoulders and scuttle out of reach, but he held fast.

"I'm not insinuating, I'm flat-out telling you!" He yelled

His change in volume only made Gwen angrier.

"Well how dare you tell me anything of the sort?! How the heck did you come up with such a story?!" she yelled back

"I didn't come up with it! I saw three weird looking aliens at the abandoned shoe factory

and one of them was really Daniel!!"

"It was not!!" she shouted indignantly

"You're just saying that because you can't stand to see me happy with him!!"

"That's not true!!" he hollered, shaking her slightly for emphasis

"It is!!"

Suddenly a honk was heard from Gwen's front lawn.

"_Goodbye _Kevin!" she yelled, trying to yank from his grasp

"There's _no_ way I'm letting you in that car Gwen!!"

"You're not the boss of me Kevin!! I'll do whatever I want, so let go of me!!"

"I'm _not_ letting you go Gwen!" he yelled stubbornly, tightening his grip on her

"You _are_ letting me go!!" she roared, fire racing in her eyes

"No!"

"Yes!"

In a final act of desperation, Kevin's lips came crashing down on top of hers. Gwen's mind went blank, and she just stood there not knowing how to react. Kevin pulled her closer and Gwen found that her first reaction was to do the same. His right hand slowly moved to the back of her head while the other encircled her waist. Her hands poised themselves around his neck as he deepened the kiss, once again pleading to her with his mouth. He took it slow and kissed her passionately, allowing all his pent up feelings for her to come forth in this one moment. Their tongues danced and roved, and he pulled her body flush against him. Somebody moaned, but Kevin wasn't sure who. This lasted a few seconds and probably would have lasted a few more if it weren't for the sound of another resonating car honk.

At this, Gwen's eyes snapped open and she was hurled back into reality. She abruptly slapped Kevin across the cheek. He stood there stunned and touched his face. Gwen's eye's gleamed with the tears she refused to let fall, no matter how blurry her vision became. She turned and ran out her door and down the stairs before he could recover from his shock. She was already out the front door when he regained his senses. He audibly cursed himself and ran after her. He heard tires screeching, as they drove away. Kevin clenched his fist and ran to his own car, which he had parked to the side somewhere out of sight. With every intention of following Daniel and saving both Tennyson's from their impending doom, he hopped inside and tore down the street after them.

Okay!! Yes that was short and this was really supposed to be included in the chapter that I have yet to finish writing. But I decided this could stand alone since I don't have enough written to make one of my full sized chapters. But I really hope I didn't disappoint. ) Expect the next update to be in a couple weeks though. Sorry for the inconvenience. Anyways, tell me what you think! Lol, you're probably all mad at me right now. That's cool. You can even tell me as much, if that's what you want. But there's more to come. The final battle is closing in!! Yay! I just hope my battle scene writing skills are good, since I don't have much experience writing them. ) But I'll do my best. Until next time…


	6. Realizing the Truth

"Gwen, what's wrong?" Ben said worriedly the second she stepped in the car.

"Nothing." She said to him, then hurriedly turned to Daniel,

"Let's go! Come on, drive!"

Daniel gave her a confused look at the sudden urgency, but obliged, quickly peeling away from the curb and down the street.

"What was that about?" he asked

Gwen, who was busy looking out her window, gave Daniel a sideways glance.

"I-It's nothing really. I…I'll tell you later."

He nodded in sympathy and turned his attention back to the road, while hers went out the window again. Ben, too, gazed out the window, occasionally sneaking a peak at Gwen, sitting in front of him.

She looked confused. She kept glancing at Daniel like she thought he was going to disappear at any given moment. But Daniel didn't seem to notice. He looked like he was concentrating. The car was uncomfortably quiet, but not quite awkward. Ben leaned forward and switched on the radio. That way, at least there was something filling the silence. He sighed and tapped his foot, silently studying Gwen in the window's reflection for the entire car ride.

Finally, in what seemed like hours, the trio pulled up in front of a modern looking house. It was a quaint, well kept dwelling with a lush, green front lawn. The porch was painted white, with sky blue banisters. A lone oak tree stood at the edge of the property. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but just enough to be impressive.

"Nice house!" Ben exclaimed

Gwen nodded her agreement as they all stepped out of the car. Daniel gave a humble shrug.

"Mi casa es su casa."

Ben gave a little chuckle.

"Sounds good to me."

He started to follow the concrete walkway leading to the front door until Daniel's voice halted him.

"Hey man, we need to go around back. Mom's remodeling the dining room and she doesn't want you guys to see the mess."

He signaled to a door nestled at the side of the house. Gwen visibly stiffened; not that either boy was paying enough attention to notice. Could this be the trap Kevin had warned her about? No, that would be crazy. Positively insane! She allowed her feet to amble just behind them and through the door. Her sense of dread increased exponentially as they entered a dark room. She could sense Daniel moving in front of her. Was this it? Had she walked into a trap? Anticipation welled up in the pit of her stomach. She tried to make out her surroundings. Just as she squinted her eyes to see, a white, brilliant light flooded her irises.

She immediately shut her eyes and rubbed them from the sudden shock. Once she had pulled herself together, she slowly opened her eyes. They were standing in a normal living room. A huge 60" Sony flat screen TV sat in an illustrious looking entertainment center, adorned with family photos on the shelves. In front of the TV was a slick, black leather couch with frilly throw pillow galore. A thin fern tree grew in a polished red porcelain pot, placed to the left of the entertainment center in the corner. Plush white carpet lay beneath her. Enjoying the way her feet sank down, she shifted them back and forth. Gwen gave an audible laugh at her own foolishness. There was no trap, and there were no aliens. Just plain 'ol Daniel. She could vaguely hear Ben's awestruck remarks about the size of the TV behind her thoughts. Sighing, she shook them all from her head and focused her sights on her boyfriend. Gwen was so happy and relieved that her anxiety had only been the follies of her own mind, and nothing more. So happy, in fact, that she walked over to him and kissed him, right then and there in full view of Ben. Ben just looked away awkwardly. Daniel gave a low chuckle and pulled away.

"What was that for?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Gwen gave a soft smile.

"I just wanted to." Was her simple answer

They stood there smiling at each other for a couple seconds.

"Anyways… can we get on with the movie?" Ben asked eagerly, trying to mask how awkward he felt about their public display of affection.

Daniel nodded without taking his eyes off Gwen.

"Yeah, the movie's on the TV. Why don't you start it Ben? Gwen and I will just be a minute." He replied and gently took her by the elbow to lead her through a door she hadn't noticed before.

The door led to a poorly lit hallway. She could just barely make out Daniel's serious face. She was silent, waiting for him to speak first. He opened his mouth, and with great hesitancy, muttered:

"Is everything alright?"

He noticed her eyes darken the slightest bit and her shoulders slump. Gwen bit her lip and shook her head.

"I need to tell you something…" she started but hesitated

He nodded his head.

"You know you can tell me anything." He whispered softly

She visibly shrank at hearing this.

"You're not going to like me very much after I tell you." She whispered, looking at the floor.

He gave a short laugh and brought her to his arms.

"That's absolutely impossible." He said playfully

He could feel how stiff her body was and he realized she was being serious. Daniel released her and picked her chin up so she was looking at him.

"What is it?" he said in a more serious tone

She gave a soft sigh, bit her lip again, and replied

"Daniel, I cheated on you."

She winced, waiting for his reaction.

He said nothing, but his body grew very rigid and his expression completely dropped.

"I…I didn't mean to do it. Not at all…Kevin just--"

"Kevin!!" he roared suddenly

"You cheated on me with KEVIN?!

Gwen closed her eyes and slowly nodded her head.

"Look, he kissed me earlier today and I feel terrible about it. It's not fair to you. I never wanted to hurt you…"

"Oh really? Well too late. It does hurt, even more so since it was with Kevin. Didn't I tell you to stay away from him? Does Ben know?" he said, a little louder than before

She shook her head again, feeling tears forming in her eyes.

"No, he doesn't. But I had to tell you Daniel!"

"Why? I was just fine not knowing about it! Haven't you heard, ignorance is bliss? Dammit Gwen!" he said harshly

"But Daniel, I had to tell you because I …cuz I love you…" she muttered so softly, he had to strain to hear her words. But he caught them.

"You…you what?" he said, caught off guard, matching his voice to hers

"I said I love you." She replied in a soft whisper

Soon after his anger seemed to melt away into the softest expression Gwen had ever seen him wear.

"I love you too Gwen." He said in an equally soft whisper

He slowly reached for her, and pulled her into a smooth embrace. Gwen felt nothing but joy. Not only had she been honest and cleared her conscience, she had admitted her feelings. It felt like things couldn't get any better. Finally, they broke apart, hearing that Ben had turned the TV up extra loud, probably trying to goad them out of the hallway. It worked. With the moment gone, they interlocked their fingers and re-entered the living room.

"Took you guys long enough!" Ben exclaimed

He picked up the remote and began punching the down button for the volume until it was at a reasonable level.

"Sorry Ben. Ready to watch the movie?" Daniel asked in an enthused way

Ben made to reply but a curt knock on the door silenced him. The door soon swung open, revealing Mr. Reese, Daniel's father.

"Hey Daniel, do you think you and your friend could help your mother? She's having trouble moving some of the furniture."

"Hello Mr. Reese!" Gwen exclaimed from the couch

"Good afternoon Gwen." He replied politely

"Sure Dad. Hey Ben, wanna help?" Daniel asked, turning to the brown headed boy

"Yeah, sure. Of course."

They both rose and left through the same door Gwen and Daniel had earlier occupied. Gwen immediately turned back to the movie, which had just started. She was more than a little surprised when Daniel's father appeared next to her.

"You kids watching a movie?" He asked so suddenly, it made her jump

"Oh…y-yeah." She replied with her hand on her chest to steady her heart beat

"What movie?"

She took a deep, calming breath before answering:

"The Grudge."

He gave a deep pensive nod.

"That's supposed to be scary, right?"

"Yeah." She replied

"Maybe I'll check it out for a minute."

And with that, he took a seat instantly absorbed in the plot.

Gwen eyed him warily. Since when was he interested in movies? She shrugged and went back to the TV.

The minutes ticked on. The movie continued, suspenseful and horrific as ever. It had to be at least halfway over by now. Where were the boys?

Suddenly there was a terrible crash. Gwen jumped up in fright, landing on her feet in front of the couch.

"What was that?!" she gasped

Daniel's father merely looked at her unconcerned.

"Oh, I'm sure it's just the boys. They probably dropped the table or something."

Gwen stared down at him for a second before tentatively re-taking her seat on the couch.

"They sure have been at it for a while." She said

He just shrugged. There was another crash, this one even louder than the first.

"Are you sure they don't need help?" she persisted

He turned his deep, calculating eyes on her.

"They're fine." He said sternly, his tone making it apparent that he didn't care

A minute later the racket continued, louder than ever. The walls gave a slight rumble and Gwen could swear she heard the shatter of glass. She quickly hopped up.

"I'm just gonna go check on them real quick."

She started for the other door, but he fleetingly blocked her way.

"I can't let you do that." He said slowly, menacingly

Gwen's eyes widened at hearing this dramatic change in psyche. His eyes had turned cold and black, and he wore such a sinister face, Gwen couldn't believe the same person stood before her. I mean, this was Daniel's dad! Polite, serious, soft spoken, caring… these were such words she had always used to describe him. What was the deal?

She gave him a disbelieving look.

"What are you doing?" she asked shakily

He gave her what she would later describe as a fiendish grin and answered:

"Keeping you here in this room, what else?"

In that instant it all clicked into place: Kevin's warning, the back living room, Daniel getting Ben alone, Daniel's father staying with her. As the realization dawned across her face, Mr. Reese began to glow a brilliant red and morph his figure. Gwen gave a shrill scream and put up a pair of pink glowing fists. Then everything went dark…

Okay, first of all I have to apologize profusely for not updating in like, years. I'm sorry if you thought I had dropped off the planet. This chapter is a lot shorter than I would have liked it to be, but I really wanted to get an update up. I'm estimating about two more chapters, plus the epilogue. But it's just a rough estimate, ya know. Okay so, everybody review! Tell me if this chapter was even worth all your guy's waiting! (And I'm sorry if it isn't) Feel free to message me if you have any questions!


	7. True Despair

Okay, so I'm horrible. I already know. I haven't had an update in months. I could sit here and give you all the reasons why it takes me so long to update these days, but I don't think you guys want to hear them. So since I haven't had much time to write this chapter is going to be short. Like, really short. Don't be angry or anything, I just was torn between update with a really short chapter or waiting until I had time to write more which would mean the update would take a lot longer. So I'm updating. I hope you like it!!! If your confused in the beginning…you're supposed to be. =)

Sinking. That's how she felt, like she was sinking in the ocean deeper and deeper. She longed to resurface, for she knew there was something up there, looming and desperately important. She was alone as far as she could tell. She struggled and tried to use her voice, but water rushed in and flooded her lungs. She choked and struggled even harder; she knew she had to reach the top before she drowned. She was closer. Her throat was closing up. She kicked frantically. Almost there……

Suddenly, she was pulled down again. She strained to see. Someone had her leg and was pulling her back down into the depths of the ocean. She tried to pry the hand away, but in vain. Her strength faltered; she was dying. Deeper and deeper the person pulled her until she could no longer see anything. Her lungs gave out and death overtook her.

Suddenly, she gasped and sat up, choking for air.

Where was she? Where was all the water? Why wasn't she dead?

She looked around the dimly lit room. It didn't look familiar. Something stirred in the darkness. She squinted.

"Gwen?!" The voice called, laced with worry and familiarity.

"Ben?" she heard herself saying.

"The water…it was a dream…" she realized as the day's events came back to her.

Her head became congested with thoughts, and reality was hard to grasp. Daniel's father…he was an alien. So Daniel must be one too…Kevin…he was right all along. And Ben, he…Ben…

"Ben!!" Gwen cried, realizing the danger he must be in.

"It's okay Gwen, I'm right here."

She looked toward the voice in the corner. It was Ben alright. Chained up. But these weren't ordinary chains, one could tell that. A thought occurred to her, "I have to get him out." She tried to go to his side, but instead collided into a glass wall in front of her. Dazed, she looked around and found herself trapped in a glass box. Why had she not noticed it before?! She raised both hands in front of her but found she could summon no manna. It was this box… this cage…

"Gwen, listen to me."

She quickly perked up and looked at him.

"Daniel is some sort of weird alien we've never seen before and he's trying to---"

A loud slam interrupted him. A bright light appeared and three figures stepped out of the luminescence.

"Oh Ben, who's calling who a weird alien? I am limited to a measly single form while you, a mere human, can turn into practically any one in the universe!"

"Actually, there are ten. I can only turn into ten aliens." Ben snidely remarked.

The three figures finally came close enough to be seen. In front was the obvious image of Daniel, as plain and human looking as ever. Behind him stood two enormous white aliens.

"Your scant knowledge of the omnitrix disgusts me, Ben. If only you truly knew what power you held, capturing you might have been more of a challenge."

Unexpectedly, he whipped his head toward the awestruck Gwen.

"But I had help, didn't I dear? Oh you made it so easy, Gwen. You didn't have a clue! You thought I was here to be with you."

He paused to cackle.

"You even believed I loved you!!" he croaked, laughing as if he had just told a joke.

Gwen could feel her throat catch. She just couldn't cry, no matter how much his words hurt. Not here. Not now.

"How does it feel to be alone, Gwen? To know you were never really desirable?"

Never in her entire life had she ever felt more betrayed. She felt dumb and didn't even notice her legs give out on her. She slowly slid down the glass wall in true despair. She was trapped. Daniel had been the fake Kevin said he was, and now she and Ben were in grave danger. Another bright light startled her out of her thoughts, and she shielded her eyes from it. Now three of those white aliens stood in front of her. And Daniel was gone. No… Daniel never existed.


	8. The Fight to Survive

Ok I know it has been a really long time. I've had life in my way. But I'm back and I've decided to finish this story this summer and move on to something new. I'm sorry to all my wonderful readers for making you wait for so long. I hope you did not give up on me. Well let's continue with the story!!

The situation seemed completely hopeless. There was nothing he or Gwen could do to escape their desperate situation. Presently, he was chained to the wall with his arms and legs spread out from his body. Not only did he have no way to reach the omnitrix with his opposite hand, he didn't have the physical strength to tear away from his prison. He had buffed up a good amount but it still was not enough.

To his right, he saw the alien which used to be Daniel (Enick, he learned was his real name) pull out what looked like a remote and push a red button. Suddenly, the wall he was chained to heaved. With a huge groan of inertia, the wall propelled forward, taking Ben with it. He heard Enick barking orders at the one they called Goph, but he was too distracted to listen to them. Instead he focused on the wall behind him. It was shaking violently, and the section of it from his shoulders up, was somehow falling in, exposing his shoulders and head. Suddenly he was aware of one of the aliens standing behind him.

"Ben!!" he heard Gwen scream.

He tried to turn his head to look but Goph was too far behind him.

"What are you---"He started but couldn't finish.

An agonizing pain permeated from the back of his neck. Something was puncturing his skin and digging all the way to his spine. He struggled, but it was futile. His arms and legs were still completely bound. All he could do was scream in agony. Just when he thought the pain couldn't get worse, a switch was flipped and whatever was inside of him began to shock him. Ben could feel the electrical vibrations reaching down through his body. Every limb, every part of his body felt like it was on fire. The room echoed with his screams, and struggling only intensified the pain. His vision was going blurry from fatigue. His screams died down, and he passed out, his body no longer able to maintain consciousness.

Gwen, who had been pounding on the glass wall of her prison and screaming Ben's name, stopped and demanded Enick's attention. Her eyes, filled with contempt and tears, narrowed at him.

"What the hell are you doing to him?!!"

The white alien gave a hearty laugh.

"Why, I'm simply extracting the Omnitrix. That device is a neuroshocker. We attach it to the recipient's spine, and waves of electricity are sent coursing through the body. The form of electrolysis the machine emits is specifically designed to momentarily reboot the Omnitrix, allowing it to be removed from the wearer. Of course, there are a few side effects…" Enick trailed off with a malicious gleam in his eye.

Gwen, highly alarmed, shouted, "What kind of side effects?!!"

Enick smirked, exposing wretched black teeth.

"The recipient will most likely suffer from a slight case of death."

"Death?!" Gwen choked, turning her tear sodden eyes towards Ben.

He was pale, and his body continually twitched despite being unconscious. Gwen felt like the room was suddenly spinning. No, Ben couldn't die. He was Ben! Strong, goofy, wonderful Ben. Think of all the sticky situations he had already made it out of. All the times he had already escaped death. Gwen shook her head. "_Ben will not die."_ She thought.

"Over my dead body." She said fiercely, and began to pound the wall violently. Somehow she had to summon the strength to escape. Somehow she had to save Ben!

Enick cackled in the background. "Your struggling is completely useless! That containment unit is of my own design. It sucks all power and energy from those inside of it, making escape impossible! Besides, it won't be long now." He turned to face Ben. "My neuroshocker has almost completed its task. Within a few minutes the omnitrix will reboot, and at that time Ben will die, allowing me to remove it! I will have ULTIMATE POWER!!"

"No!" Gwen wailed, "You won't get away with this! You will regret that you ever messed with us!"

Enick smiled. "Don't make me laugh. Your time will come soon enough. You will most definitely be joining your cousin in death." An evil, murderous and corrupted laugh was just beginning to erupt from his throat, when suddenly, a fist connected with the back of Enick's head.

"Oh no she will not! Your not gonna lay a finger on her!"

All eyes turned to look at this newfound intruder. Gwen's eyes went wide as they were filled with the vision of Kevin standing before her. "K-Kevin." She whispered, never so happy to see him in her life.

"What!! What are _you_ doing here??" Enick screeched. What ill timing.

"You leave the Tennyson's alone!" Kevin yelled as he squatted down to coat his self with concrete.

"Oh, so you wanna fight, do you?" Enick mocked

Suddenly Goph and Anix appeared at his side, ready to do what loyal minions do and fight for their leader. Kevin smirked.

"Three against one? Now that's not fair. Why don't I even down the odds?"

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a slim silver device and pushed a button. At first, nothing noticeable happened. Gwen couldn't see or hear anything. But suddenly, the three aliens began covering their ears and sinking to the floor.

"Turn…off that…infernal…thing!" Enick wheezed.

"Sir…what's…h-happening to…us?" Anix asked, struggling to get the words out.

"I-I'm not sure." He replied.

Kevin smiled. "None of your business." He said and stepped over Goph, heading for Gwen.

"I'll get you out of there." He said softly. But Gwen shook her head violently and pointed in the opposite direction.

"No, Kevin! Get Ben, hurry! That thing…it's killing him!!" she said desperately.

His eyes grew wide and he pivoted on his heels to look in that direction. What he saw was horrible. There was Ben, chained up with some machine attached to his neck. The same machine he had seen earlier that night in the abandoned shoe factory. Ben had no color in his face and was completely unconscious. But it was his movements, so sporadic and unnatural, that horrified Kevin. What ever that machine was, it was shocking his nervous system. He wouldn't be surprised if Ben was dead already. With cobra-like speed, Kevin made it to Ben. Unsure how to disarm the machine, he took to his fists and pounded it. The shaking and twitching in Ben's body stopped and Kevin forcibly yanked the device from the meat of his neck.

"Ben!" He shouted, making his way around so he was in front of the boy.

Suddenly there was a flash of red and swift beeping, and the machine Kevin had extracted from Ben exploded. Kevin was thrown across the room and hit the wall. Ben flew a few feet and hit the floor, the wall he had formerly been chained to destroyed.

"Ben! Kevin!" Gwen yelled.

Kevin slowly got up from the ground, a sickening thought accuring to him. Reaching again into his back pocket, Kevin pulled out pieces of what was once his Omega Disabler Ray.

"That's not good." He said, looking up. The aliens were standing up and regaining their composure.

"Kevin, what happened? What's going on?" Gwen asked.

"Damnit! The Disabler Ray just broke! "Kevin yelled, clearly frustrated.

"T-the what?" Gwen asked, unfamiliar with the technology.

"It's just a little something I picked up that weakens their kind. It's supposed to produce supersonic waves at a specific frequency that shut down their basic body functions. But now it's useless." He growled.

"What a clever device." Enick commented.

"Yes, clever." Goph mimicked.

"How ever did you know what frequency to put it at?" Anix ventured. Kevin narrowed his eyes.

"I got people." He said simply.

Enick now came forward, fury in his four yellow eyes. "You won't have anything for long. You destroyed my neuroshocker. My plan is ruined! You will pay with your life!"

With that, he lurched forward and attempted to body slam Kevin. With a quick sidestep he avoided Enick's attack, but was unable to dodge Goph's, who connected a punch to his stomach. The concrete encompassing his body cracked at the point of contact. Swiftly, Kevin grabbed Goph's arm and tried to pull him forward, but was struck from behind by Enick. The impact sent him crashing into Goph, who simply picked him up and hurled him into the wall. With a smooth thud, Kevin hit the ground and rolled.

"Kevin!" Gwen yelled, once again banging on the glass wall.

Shakily, Kevin pulled his self to his feet, only to be punched to the wall by Anix. Having already pinned him to the wall, Anix levied a whole rain of punches to his chest and stomach, each one sending him deeper and deeper into the wall. Kevin cried out in pain as each punch only increased in strength. Kevin's body of concrete armor was almost completely gone, chipped from his body. Desperately he gazed around until he saw a nearby sheet of steel. Picking up his foot, he kicked Anix as hard as possible and barrel rolled to the steel. Placing a hand on it, he proceeded to absorb it.

"Yeah, this feels better." He commented, looking down at his steel laden, clenched fists. With a confident smirk, he charged at the closest alien, Goph.

With smooth movements, Kevin faked a punch to the face and used his leg to trip the alien. Goph crashed to the ground with a clumsy thud. Just as Kevin was about to body slam Goph, Anix rushed him and pushed him down attempting to pin Kevin under her weight. Pushing against her with all his strength, he finally threw her aside. Quickly, Kevin jumped to his feet and ran at Anix. The alien jumped in the air and avoided Kevin's attack, using her massive wings to stay airborne. Kevin looked up at her and growled. He had forgotten they could fly. But why else would they have wings??

Kevin spun to the side, avoiding Anix's dive bomb attack. Kevin crouched down, expecting him to charge. Instead he followed Anix's example and took to the air.

"_Damn!"_ He thought. _"I can't fly! How am I supposed to beat them in the air?!"_

Desperately, Kevin searched around. He needed a plan. Something to take these aliens down once and for all. He thought hard. What else did his sources tell him about these kinds of aliens, these Plasmeons, as they were commonly referred to? They mainly talked about how perceptible they are to certain frequencies. But there had to be something else. Suddenly, he was snapped out of his thoughts by an explosion. Goph had fired a beam of energy at him. Fortunately, his aim was bad. Kevin began moving around, trying to avoid the rain of energy beams now being thrown at him from both Goph and Anix.

"That's it! Energy beams!!" Kevin smiled as the perfect plan came to him.

"Cowards! You can't even fight me head on!" Kevin yelled at them.

"What are you talking about?"Goph cried.

"How are we supposed to have a proper fight if you guys stay in the air all day?" Kevin said matter-of –factly.

Goph growled. Anix narrowed her eyes.

"We're not the cowards! You are the one who tried to "disable our basic body functions". You are too weak to defeat us alone!" she screeched.

The two aliens lowered their selves to the ground. "You want a "proper" fight, you got it, stupid human."

Kevin smirked. They were just as dumb as he thought. Confidently, with a surefire plan, he strode forward. This battle would be over soon….

Ok!! So I hope you liked it!! I worked hard on the fight scenes and I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Please leave a review and tell me how I did! All comments are welcome! And feel free to PM me if you have any questions!! I love to hear from you guys!! Anyways, until next chapter!!


	9. Coming to a Close

Hey guys! So I know it's been a long while since I have updated. I am planning on finishing the story this week (well hopefully). I haven't been active on this site in a while, but I'm back to finish what I started. There will be this chapter and the epilogue. Then the story will be complete. I really hope everyone likes it. To be honest, I haven't worked on this story in a long while; I had to go back and read it all to remember what was going on. But I'm picking it up where I left off. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. I really have put a lot of myself into this story. Enjoy!

Kevin had formulated a surefire plan. This plan (he was sure) was guaranteed to work. At least on the minions Goph and Anix. Enick would be a different story. Kevin narrowed his eyes as he set his sites on the pair, just descending from the air.

"So here we are little human man." Anix taunted menacingly.

"Yes. Here we are." Goph mimicked.

Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"Good. Now you're going down!"

Their battle raged on. Enick looked on in amusement, waiting for his loyal followers to take care of the dirty work. _They should be able to take care of him no problem…._

Kevin was close. Fists were flying, and he had each alien on either side, but they weren't throwing enough energy beams. He had to taunt them into it somehow...

Kevin gave out a hearty chuckle, right in the middle of battle.

"What's so funny little man? The battle too intense for you? You lost your wits?" Anix questioned.

"No." Kevin smiled, "I just can't believe how weak the two of you are combined. That this is truly the extent of the Plasmeon's power. I'm pretty disappointed…" He said with a fake pout in his tone.

"We are not weak! How dare you say such a thing you puny human man! I will show you our true strength!" Goph wailed in a fury.

He began to hurl rains of red energy beams in Kevin's direction, which Kevin expertly dodged. Anix soon followed suit, and Kevin's plan was back in action. He went on the total defensive, dodging and twisting and jumping and crouching, all while leading his prey into his trap. He positioned his body directly between the two enraged aliens and made insulting and taunting gestures. He saw them both power up one at the same time; this was his chance. To his luck (and perfectly to his plans) they let go at the same time, and it was of little effort to Kevin to jump up in avoidance. Goph and Anix, who had been smug about their aim, gave each other wide-eyed looks as their partner's energy beams came at them head on. Each gave a shrill scream on contact and was immediately disintegrated. Kevin landed softly back to the ground; he hadn't made quick work out of them liked he had hoped, but the battle was over and he had hardly retained a scratch.

"NOOO! My minions! How am I supposed to rule the planet without minions?" Enick shrieked.

Kevin turned around slowly to face him.

"That's not my problem. My problem is my friends." He said coldly, "Let them go. Before I beat you into it."

Enick smiled.

"You think that because you defeated my loyals you will be able to defeat me? I'm not going to be quite that easy. I don't know how you knew our own energy rays easily kill us, but it is of no consequence. You won't be able to pull that one on me. Unless you have anything else up your sleeve, which I seriously doubt you do, then you are basically hopeless to defeat me."

Kevin laughed, knowing he did indeed have another trick up his sleeve, and it was Enick's mistake for thinking otherwise. But first thing was first, he had to get Gwen out of that glass containment unit. Remembering he was still coated in pure steel, he charged.

"Gwen, get back!" He hollered.

Gwen, taken by surprise, quickly jumped to the corner of the cell and out of Kevin's way. He plummeted right through the glass seemingly easily (Kevin had a way of making difficult tasks look easy) and came to a halt inside the box. Gwen could feel the containment unit fill with manna and energy now that it was broken and exposed. She took Kevin's outstretched hand and he pulled her out into the open.

They could see Enick fuming. His mind was racing with many sinister thoughts, but the one that got priority above all the others was his notion to kill these two. The ones who had steadily ruined all of his careful planning.

"You should say your goodbyes to the land of the living. Because you really just pissed me off." Enick shrilled.

Gwen and Kevin gave each other a quick sideways glance and sprang into action.

"Kevin, we need to finish this quick! Ben is in trouble, we need to get him some help!"

Kevin nodded as he sidestepped Enick's fury punch. Taking advantage of Enick's vulnerable position, Kevin gave him a swift kick to the stomach. The impact sent him flying backwards. Gwen caught him in her manna trap, lifted him to the ceiling and slammed him with all her might into the floor.

"Well, well you pack a pretty good punch Gwen." He smiled while rubbing is side," But then again so do I."

Gwen felt herself become enveloped in a white light, which shot from Enick's eyes, and be lifted off the ground. Suddenly she was jolted to the left and slammed into the wall. A second later she found herself colliding with the wall on her right. The sequence repeated, each time smashing her petite frame harder and harder into the fortification. Kevin, determined to not let this continue any longer, ran toward Enick at full speed and connected a powerful haymaker to his face. Enick hit the ground with a thud and his lack of concentration released Gwen from his energy eyes. Gwen slid down from the crater her body had made with the wall, and smashed hard against the floor. Since Enick was momentarily paralyzed, Kevin rushed over to Gwen's side. She looked as if she had been wrecked, and her breath was very harsh. Kevin took her face into his hands and gave her a little shake.

"Gwen! Gwen, look at me! Are you alright?"

She blinked a couple times and her eyes came into focus and she saw Kevin in front of her.

"Ke-Kevin…" she mustered. She lifted her hand to her head and rubbed it. And gave a small chuckle.

"That really hurt." She whispered.

Kevin looked upon her with serious eyes.

"Just stay here, ok? I'll finish him."

Gwen violently shook her head in defiance.

"No I'm fine. I'm going to help you."

Then, in order to convince him, she pushed herself up and stood shakily on her knees.

"Just, help me the rest of the way up." She murmured to Kevin.

He obliged because he knew he couldn't argue with her. Right at that moment, Enick sent a shot of red energy beams at the duo, and Kevin had to grab Gwen and throw both of their bodies out of the way to avoid it. They got back up and back into action, throwing manna and punches left and right. They were wearing down, and Kevin knew this needed to end fast so they could get Ben some help. It was time for his plan, the last piece of vulnerability he knew about the Plasmeons.

"Gwen, I need you to hold him down so I can get to his wings!"

She gave him a questioning look and replied, "Okay, I'll do my best."

Gwen quickly sprinted around to Enick's side while Kevin kept him distracted.

While Gwen was working on that, Kevin's mind was racing. How was he going to do it exactly? With his hands? Could he even do it? Kevin's eyes searched the room and settled on a very large shard of broken glass: the remnants of the glass containment unit. Perfect.

Kevin expertly made his way toward the shard of glass, dodging energy beams all the while. Lightning fast, he stooped down and scooped the shard up in one quick, tuck and roll motion.

"What do you think you are going to do with that Kevin?" Enick exclaimed with a laugh.

"Gwen, now!" Kevin shouted.

At hearing this, Gwen's hands glowed pink, and she wrapped her manna tightly around Enick's body. With his body completely constricted and his struggling becoming more and more futile, Enick reverted to cursing.

"How dare you hold me down, you sick half-breed! Just wait until I get my hands on you!" he wailed.

Gwen merely narrowed her eyes and shouted, "Kevin hurry, I can't hold him like this for too long."

Kevin adjusted his already firm grip on the large shard of broken glass. If he weren't still coated in steel, his hands would probably be bloody from this grip. He poised himself and sprang at his target.

"What the- AHH!" came Enick's surprised scream.

Kevin landed beside the bound alien and threw down the large shard of glass, now stained in black. Gwen's eyes went wide as she saw Enick's wings slide off his body in a sloppy mess of black, the color of his blood.

Kevin turned to Gwen.

"Can you hold him for a little while longer? It's almost over."

She nodded shakily and Kevin turned back to face the mangled Alien.

Enick regarded him with four vicious eyes.

"Do you realize what you have done to me?" He screamed.

At that instant he began to fire red shots of energy right and left, with no regard to aim or the fragile house. Gwen, totally taken aback by this sudden spur in rage, lost focus and dropped the insane extraterrestrial. "_Oh no!_" Her mind screamed as she tried to regain control of him. To no avail, she jumped, twisted, and dodged, trying to reclaim dominance. Enick fired another round, and Gwen, misjudging how far to jump, was hit head on and thrown into a pile of rubble. Kevin hurtled up and over Enick, but was hit and also thrown to the ground. _"Dang it! I was so close too…"_

Kevin knew he needed to make this one last-ditch effort. This battle needed to end _now_. Ben was dying, and Gwen hadn't moved since she got hit. Kevin stood up, fire burning in his eyes. Enick was squirming in pain and in fury, screeching and wailing as he stood in the middle of the room. Upon seeing Kevin approach he stopped and stared him down.

"So it's come to this. I took you much lighter than I should have I'm afraid. But you will not take me down." Enick stated.

"Actually I _will_ take you down. Do you know why? Because you want to take away everything that means anything to me. And that's gonna happen over my dead body!"

With that said, Kevin stampeded forward in a swift zigzag motion to dodge Enick's wild swings and energy beams. When Kevin was straight in front of him he faked to the left. Enick, who fell for the left, went to block him. Utilizing Enick's open position, Kevin jumped straight up, and hurdled over his shoulders, effectively turning a front flip over him. In mid air, Kevin dove his fist into the part of Enick's back where his wings once were. He seized and held tight until his body completely flipped over and retracted his hand. Kevin landed near his back, and he could see Enick's body visibly stiffen. Then it shook. Enick let out a scream, "What have you done? How could you have know?"

Suddenly his body seemed to swirl like a black hole and Kevin had to jump out of the way. Enick's body was sucked into itself, and the swirling vortex disappeared. All was quiet in the room.

Kevin let out a sigh and scanned the room. Ben was in one corner and Gwen was close by. He walked over to her and saw she was conscious and trying to stand up. He tried to help her but she shook him off.

"Get Ben!" she said.

Kevin nodded and ran to the corner for Ben. He was in a crumple of rubble, mess, and some blood from where the device was jammed in his neck. Kevin grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Ben! Ben wake up!"

Ben's body continued to stay limp and unmoving. Kevin could hear his shaky breath as he struggled to keep breathing. Kevin felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I called Grandpa Max. He'll be her in two minutes. He just said to make sure Ben keeps breathing and he should be able to get him healed."

Kevin nodded, and he felt her hand tighten on his shoulder.

"What did you do back there? To Enick I mean."

Kevin sighed.

"I sent him to the Null Void. His entire species, the Plasmeons, are outlaws. They've been under Plumber control for years. Every single one of them gets a Null Void portal implanted in their bodies at birth. All you have to do is know how to get to it."

"I see. I'm just glad it's over." She said, slowly kneeling down next to him.

She looked him softly and said, "Thank you Kevin. You really saved our lives."

Gwen then turned her attention to Ben. She took his face in her hands. Kevin turned to gaze at her and saw that she was crying. Just as he was about to put his arm around her shoulder there was a loud rumble and the wall in front of them was pulverized. There stood Manny, in all his glory, looking especially proud to have taken down the wall in one punch.

"Whacha doing yall?" he shouted.

Helen ran up behind him, worry laced in her eyes.

"Where's Ben?" she exclaimed.

At that moment Grandpa Max appeared next to her, and Gwen and Kevin both let out a simultaneous sigh. They knew everything would be alright…

Kevin walked outside to get some fresh air. It had been a long night but Ben was going to be fine. Grandpa Max had taken the three of them to his headquarters, where they were able to make use of his full hospital ward. After many hours and much uncertainty, they were able to get Ben out of critical condition. Everyone was terribly relieved.

Kevin took a long breath of crisp night air and released a sigh. Just as he was beginning to feel a little better he heard a soft sound. Looking in the sound's general direction, he could make out the dark outline of Gwen, crying on the roof. Kevin's good mood instantly dropped. He silently walked to the wall of the building. Then he backed up, got a good running start, and ran up the wall until he was able to grab a hold of the roof. He muscled himself up on the top and made his way over to Gwen's figure. Gwen visibly stiffened, now aware that Kevin was coming toward her. He took a seat right next to her and scooted in close, turning to face her. She faced him too, and he could see the tears staining down her beautiful, moonlit face. He softly touched her cheek and wiped some of them away.

"Gwen, what's wrong? Everything's ok now. Ben's going to be fine." Kevin whispered softly.

He gazed deep into her tear-laden eyes and he could see that Ben was not the cause of her anxiety. She winced and more tears came forth. Kevin took hold of her shoulders and pulled her to him, holding her in the soft moonlight as soft sobs wracked her tiny frame.

"I'm sorry." She whispered through the tears.

Kevin hugged her tighter and replied, "It's ok Gwen."

A short pause followed and Gwen pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes.

"No it's not. You were right about everything from the start. I just didn't listen. And I…"

She stopped to let another wave of sobs run their course. Kevin held her tight and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. She nuzzled her head into his neck. He knew he could get used to this closeness. A few moments later she pulled away to look at him again.

"I really fell hard Kevin. For Daniel I mean…I trusted him. I loved everything about him. And I really thought he loved me too…" She whispered.

More tears and sobs shook Gwen's body. She put her head down and Kevin tried once again to pull her to him. This time she resisted.

"I know you're hurt, Gwen. I know you trusted him. But I just need you to know that I've always been here for you. And I've always been the one in love with you."

"Kevin…" She said, putting her head back up to look at him with wide crystal eyes.

"I'm here, and here is where I'll stay. I want to be with you Gwen. I want to be the one who makes you happy and takes away your pain. As long as you want me too."

They stared at each other for a long while, looking deep in each other's eyes. Kevin saw more tears slide down her cheeks, so he gingerly reached over and wiped them with his thumbs. Gwen sniffled and took a breath.

"Kevin, it's not that…that I don't want to be with you. I just…" she paused and looked down.

Kevin stared at her with concerned eyes.

"You just what?"

Gwen slowly picked up her head and the despondent, desperate look in her eyes made Kevin's heart freeze.

"I just can't. I can't be with you. At least not right now. You deserve better than what I can give to you."

He looked upon her with confusion.

"What do you mean? I'm the one who doesn't deserve _you!_ Not by a long-"

"That's not what I mean." She interrupted, "For one, don't ever say that. And for two, I just know right now I couldn't be a good girlfriend to you. I'm just so…so hurt, Kevin. You don't deserve to have to deal with my emotional baggage. We can't be together. At least not yet. If you will even want me later…" Gwen said sadly, her voice trailing off.

Kevin stared at her hard and took her by the shoulders. He pulled her back slightly and held her there until she looked him straight in the eyes.

"Gwen, if you need time then I will wait for you no matter how long it takes. I love you and I am always going to be here for you."

He gave her a loving and sincere smile, and she smiled back. They simultaneously moved together in a tender embrace, where they held each other for the rest of the night.

The End! ;)

Just Kidding.

One more chapter to go! I'll try to have it up in a few days. It's gonna be somewhat short, but hopefully it is worth it. We'll the story is almost over, and I want to thank all my loyal readers who have given me so many great reviews and favorites! I really appreciate it! Until next time!


	10. Epilogue: Happy Ending

So it has most certainly been more than a couple of days…. So yeah. Last chapter is finally up to complete the story Too Little Too Late! It has been a few years since I started this story and I'm really happy to finally complete it. I really did put a lot of work into it, so I hope it is well liked. I'm going to work on some Slayers fanfiction next so if you're a fan, check it out!

Seven Months Later

The sun shone softly on her porcelain skin, and illuminated her beauty. It was a radiance Kevin could barely comprehend. She gave him a playful sideways glance and the sight of her struck him, small and beautiful in her pink dress. Around them was a sonata of sweet sounds: a fountain's majestic ambiance, children innocently playing and laughing, and birds of all kinds come to drink up nature's sweet nectar.

But this botanical garden they had come to paled in comparison to her beauty.

"Oh Kevin, come here quick!"

Gwen's voice was like a melody he could never get enough of. As he followed her, he saw what she was heading to look at.

It was a section of rose bushes of every color you could imagine. But that wasn't what she was so interested in. It was the hundreds of butterflies that had flocked the small patch. It was like a butterfly haven.

"Aren't they beautiful, Kevin?"

Oh yes, she was beautiful. But Kevin shook his head from his daydreams and replied,

"Yeah they are, Gwen."

She sauntered farther into the sea of rose bushes, chasing a particular butterfly she picked as her favorite. Kevin watched from a small distance and fell in love with the sparkle in her eyes.

Out of nowhere a young man approached her. He was tall, dark, handsome, and a bit older as well.

"Hello beautiful! You like butterflies I see. Why don't we go over to the gift shop and I get you a stuffed one?"

He raised a single eyebrow in a suave manner, and Gwen just looked up at him. She opened her lips to decline, but at that moment she felt someone's hand slip into hers. She lightly squeezed it knowing it was Kevin, and politely declined the young lad's offer. His eyes grew wide and he sincerely apologized for coming onto her. He walked away embarrassed.

"I can't stay away from you for ten seconds without someone trying to snag you away from me." Kevin chuckled.

"Oh stop, Kevin!" She laughed back and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

They started walking together slowly.

"I'm really glad we came here today." Gwen uttered sweetly.

"Yeah, me too." He replied.

"It's been an amazing six months." Gwen said smiling and looking up at the clouds.

Kevin laughed and said," I'm surprised we've been able to be together this long already. I was gearing myself to have to wait for you for months…"

Gwen laughed too and punched him harder on the shoulder.

"Well one month was long enough. Knowing you were here waiting for me helped me get over everything very quickly. Especially since you were the one I wanted to be with in the first place…"

Gwen trailed off and let out a small gasp. Kevin turned to look at her and saw that she was blushing furiously.

"It's ok, I always wanted to be with you too, and I was just too dumb to do anything about it." He replied also blushing, slight embarrassment on his face.

There was a small moment of slightly awkward, slightly comfortable silence until Gwen exclaimed, "Kevin, lets go sit by that huge fountain!"

He nodded and she bounded off, pulling him in the direction of the fountain. Once there, they stood still to take it all in. It was huge, spouting cool crystal clear water sounding like a babbling brook. Marble angels holding up marble pots of intricate design poured water in to the main towering spigot. The tower was beautiful and branched off into a stunning work of hard craftsmanship.

"Do you have any change? I want to make a wish!" Gwen exclaimed.

Kevin dug around in his pants pocket and pulled out two quarters, handing them both to her.

"Here, you take the other and we'll make a wish together."

"Ok." Kevin said, gingerly taking the quarter from her outstretched palm.

"Do you have your wish ready?" Gwen asked.

Kevin thought for a couple seconds more and nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"Ok, together then. 1…2…3!"

The quarters made a sweet plopping sound as they broke the water's surface and sank quickly to the fountain's bottom, along with scores of other change. Gwen smiled, sat down on the edge, and peered down at the water. Kevin took a seat next to her. Gwen looked up and took his hands in her own.

"Thank you for wishing with me, Kevin. I know it's not your style and all…"

"It's no problem at all." He replied, smiling and squeezing her hands softly.

They sat there looking at each other blushing, each not sure how to say what was on their mind.

"S…so what did you wish for?" Gwen asked shyly.

Kevin gave a huge grin and replied, "Everyone knows that if you tell it won't come true!"

Gwen laughed upon hearing this, not having been sure if he would tell her or if he believed in that superstition about wishes. When she finally stopped, she saw that Kevin was looking at her quite seriously.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worry lacing her emerald eyes.

Kevin leaned in close, placed his hand behind her head, and brought her closer until their noses were touching. He saw her face stain a light crimson, and he was sure that his had as well.

"I love you." He whispered and closed his eyes, leaning in the last little bit to take her lips into the sweetest kiss they had shared thus far.

The End

(For real this time)

Thank you so much to all of my readers out there! I know it took me a while, but it's finally all finished. I have enjoyed writing this story very much! Be on the look out for my next one ;) !


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